Airbnb rental properties in Ukraine are booking out rapidly - but people aren't intending to travel to eastern Europe as the Russia-Ukraine conflict continues to rage.
In a creative social media initiative, people are paying to book properties listed for rent on the Airbnb platform to help provide funds to residents who have remained in Ukraine during the invasion by Russian forces.
It comes as Airbnb announced it will waive host and resident fees on new bookings in Ukraine.
According to Airbnb, on 2 and 3 March, there were 61,000 bookings made for people to stay in Ukraine - more than half of these bookings were made by users based in the United States.
"We are so humbled by the inspiring generosity of our community during this moment of crisis," Airbnb said in a statement.
"In the past 48 hours, as we’ve waived our fees for new reservations, we’ve noticed a grassroots movement to book Airbnb listings in Ukraine with the objective of supporting local Hosts."
Airbnb announced on Monday it will provide free short-term residency to 100,000 Ukrainian refugees who have fled the country due to the escalating conflict.
It is one of many unique ways to provide direct support to Ukrainian residents who are either housing displaced people in their Airbnb properties or paying their employees with the donations provided.
Some Airbnb properties in Ukraine are now booked out for most of 2022 as the campaign's momentum has picked up globally in the past week.
In a bid to condemn Russia's actions against Ukraine, Airbnb announced last week it will suspend its operations in Russia and Belarus. It means users have been blocked from booking any properties listed on Airbnb from either country.
Airbnb isn't the only online platform where people are getting creative in providing donations and solidarity to the people of Ukraine.
Online craft market Etsy has waived all fees for sellers based in Ukraine - that totals approximately US$4 million ($5.4 million), according to CEO Josh Silverman.
Hundreds of digital files have been made available for download to donate directly to Ukrainian sellers on Etsy. Credit: Etsy/Katerina Makogon
"Being part of a community means that when one part is suffering, the rest of us must step up and offer our support,” Mr Silverman said.
People can now buy Ukraine-themed items sold by people who are using proceeds to donate to third-party organisations, such as the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR).
And for Ukrainian citizens who are not able to physically create products, digital files can now be purchased for download in a simple way to donate to people in need.
